SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Persons Day

Honourable senators, Saturday was Persons Day, when we commemorate the 1929 Persons Case that recognized certain women — but not all — as legal persons for the purpose of serving here in the Senate.

Ninety-seven years on, the chamber has now surpassed gender parity. Yesterday, at Rideau Hall, and today, here, we celebrate the achievements of the 2025 and 2026 recipients of the Governor General’s Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case, highlighting amazing women who have made incredible contributions to the advancement of women’s equality.

They are award-winning aerospace engineer and advocate Damineh Akhavan, who has advanced equity, education and opportunity for women and girls as she champions women in STEM; respected Matriarch, Knowledge Keeper and advocate Dr. Sandra DeLaronde; Indigenous advocate Marjolaine Étienne; Shianne Gordon, for advancing safety, healing and inclusion for marginalized youth survivors of sexual violence; Meseret Haileyesus, who has transformed the national conversation on economic abuse and economic justice, advancing women’s financial independence; inspiring youth leader and educator Rochelle Prasad; visionary Inuk leader Amanda Kilabuk, for advancing the safety, rights and visibility of Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people, while empowering Inuit communities and inspiring meaningful change throughout Canada and beyond; distinguished feminist journalist Penney Kome, who has spent five decades advancing women’s equality through influential journalism, acclaimed books and independent media leadership and has inspired generations to pursue justice and equality; Sunny Marriner, for three decades advancing justice, accountability and equality for survivors of sexual violence; Dr. Amanda McCormick, for advancing knowledge and practice in preventing intimate partner violence through her research, collaboration and leadership; distinguished Métis leader Melanie Omeniho, who devoted more than four decades to advancing equality, safety and opportunity for women and communities; and Yanique Brandford, founder of Help A Girl Out, for advancing menstrual equality.

Together, we celebrate all 12 deserving award recipients, and, as their work underscores, we commit to continuing to work to achieve our Charter’s guarantees and insist that equality be more than unjustly incremental, exclusionary and elusive, especially for Indigenous, Black and other racialized women, women with disabilities, members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and women who are poor or homeless or fleeing violence.

We honour the contributions of today’s remarkable recipients by pledging to continue their aspirations and efforts for long-overdue justice, hard-won equality and a Canada in which all are included and empowered to create the just, equal and fair future everyone deserves.

Meegwetch. Thank you.